Kailash Trip July 31st to August 14, 2018 with Isha
I had always wanted to visit Kailash Mansarovar and would
plan half heartedly each year and then drop it. This year I decided to make the
move more decisively and registered with Isha Sacred Walks. The team in Isha
guided us each step of the way – sending us the info required for the visa, the
medical check up to be done, the list of medicines to be carried, the checklist
of items to be taken were all sent to us. Given my hectic schedule of work, and
board meetings I was barely getting time to put all this together. They had
also asked us to follow the practices (Isha yoga etc) for at least 2 months
prior to prepare ourselves. It was a hectic week packing and collecting all the
things in the checklist. The route we were to take was as follows. Dirapuk is at the base of Mt Kailash.
The route to Kailash
30th July, Monday – Day 0 - Bangalore to Delhi and Delhi
to Kathmandu
Left in the morning with a lot of anxiety particularly about
the altitude sickness part having experienced it last year in Leh. I had
followed instructions to start Diamox 5 days before travel and drink 3 litres
of water everyday. Left early in the morning at 5 am to catch the Delhi flight
and then the flight to Kathmandu. Landed on time and went to the Isha counter. We were welcomed with garlands at the airport.
Sense of anticipation started building up.
Arriving
in Kathmandu airport
Checked in to the Yak and Yeti hotel – extremely nice and
large 5 star hotel. We went for a long walk to Thamel which was filled with
shops for trekkers. Stopped at a small place for masala tea and cakes which
were extremely good.
31st July, Tuesday – Day 1 - In Kathmandu; Altitude – 4200 feet
Time difference 15
minutes ahead of India
Woke up at 7 did my sadhana and had a relaxed breakfast and took some pics of the hotel grounds.
Leaving for Lhasa from Kathmandu
Afternoon was spent in collecting duffel bags, back packs,
down jackets, medical check-up after lunch. Evening we had a satsang with
Sadhguru telling us how to prepare for the trip and to follow the four basic
rules 1. Follow your rules 2. Be responsible for everything 3. Whatever is
happening at the moment is what is and meant to be 4. I am not the body and I
am not the mind.
We converted rupees into Yuans – conversion is 1 yuan =
11.25 rupees. After dinner packed
everything into the duffel bag from the suitcase; had to leave a few things
behind. Meanwhile had met Rachna in the
afternoon and we became roomies for the rest of the trip.
1st
August Wed – Day 2 - Kathmandu to Lhasa by flight 1 hour 15 minutes
Kathmandu altitude –
4200 feet; Lhasa – 12000 feet
Had a very light breakfast because I wanted to land in Lhasa
on a light stomach. Lot of confusion and
hassle putting our duffel bags into the bus identifying bags, checking in and boarding.
Landed in Lhasa and immigration, bag collection took 2 hours for all of us. Lack
of knowledge of Chinese made it very difficult.
Reached the Hotel Lhasa Mansarovar in the evening at 5 and
was welcomed with hot Pakodas and masala
tea. On to the room, unpacked and then down for medical check-up
and dinner. For some strange reason my watch stopped and I put it away. My
worries on the altitude sickness was unfounded and I was a little more relaxed
after having landed at Lhasa.
Rachna and I at Kathmandu airport. My roomie for the trip and a good
friend now
Kathmandu to Lhasa flight – you can see Mt Everest in the distance
In Lhasa Yak and Yeti hotel
2nd August Thursday – Day 3 - In Lhasa ; Altitude – 12000
feet
Tine difference – 2.5 hours ahead of India
Wake up call at 6 am followed by practices and breakfast.
Masala and cardamom tea was excellent – however only bread or cereal available
for breakfast. The nice looking buns were non-veg. Followed by Satsang where
Sadhguru spoke about Tibet and Milarepa.
Lhasa
Beautiful infrastructure, excellent clean roads, no litter, not
even a wrapper. People are very spiritual. In Jokhang temple where there are huge crowds and shops, we didn’t see
any litter anywhere . Saw a lot of people prostrating or praying in the rain.
Lot of construction work going on around Lhasa – influence of Chinese
perfection everywhere. The temple was extremely crowded with all the various
gods, Avalokiteswara, Tsonseng Rampo meditation cave and numerous others almost
like our Tamilian Alwars. No rituals like in our temples. Not sure how or what
they consecrate in these temples. We must have walked about 1-2 km to see this
and then went on to see the summer palace where we had to walk another 3-4 kms.
I think the intention was to get us acclimatized.
In front of Jokhang temple people
prostrating and praying
Jokhang Temple
Evening we went to see the Potala palace - was the residence of the Dalai Lama until
the 14th Dalai
Lama fled to India during
the 1959 Tibetan uprising. It is
now a museum and World Heritage Site.The
palace is named after Mount
Potalaka, the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The
building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping
stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the
base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against
earthquakes.Thirteen
stories of buildings—containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about
200,000 statues. Tradition
has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the "Three Protectors
of Tibet". Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the
soul-mountain of Vajrapani,
Pongwari that of Manjusri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands,
represents Avalokiteśvara.
In front of Potala Palace
A Tibetan lady dressed up to go for a Puja (P.C. - Anand)
My BP was on the higher side because of the altitude and the
doc doubled my usual dose. I was glad I
had Anand and Rachna for company – had the comfort of being with them when I
wanted or being on my own when I wanted to.
Thank u guys for being there for me.
August 3rd,
Friday – Day 4 - Lhasa to Shigatse – 6-7 hours bus drive
Shigatse altitude –
12000 feet
Morning wake up call at 6 followed by Guru Puja and
Shambhavi. Packed duffel bags and left it out for the Sherpas to take. Our schedule henceforth would be along these
lines – wake up at 5.30, duffel bags out at 6.30, 7 to 8 practices, 8 to 9
breakfast and medical and then leave for the next stop.
Typical daily routine
At this point people started developing issues of altitude
sickness. Rachna and I were medical volunteers for our bus. On the way we
stop every 1.5 hours to stretch our legs , do Sukha Kriya, chant Brahmananda
Swaroopa, do the rotation exercise for acclimatization. As we leave for
Shigatse my heart is beating with a sense of anticipation and excitement. All
like minded people on a spiritual quest – it felt wonderful being in company
like this. Beautiful scenery throughout and would be so for the rest of the
trip.
Tibet
Thousands of years ago Tibetans were every martial arts oriented
people- this was 500 years before Buddha. Then Padmasambhava went there and
taught them to be kind, generous, peace loving people. This actually lost them
their purpose in life whereas while fighting they had a purpose. This was the Bon
religion which lasted about 500 years, Then the Buddha came from
India because Hinduism was taking strong roots in India. Buddhism
was a combination of being kind generous, loving at the same time with a
purpose in life. People took to this very fast. There
is also a school of thought which says
that the Bon religion was revived in the 11th century along with the advent of
Buddhism. According to a recent Chinese census, an estimated 10
percent of Tibetans follow Bon and there
are 264 active Bon monasteries, convents, and hermitages.
Milarepa
We all know of him as the only person to have climbed Mt
Kailash (he actually flew to the top of Mt Kailash). Sadhguru narrated his
story. Milarepa was born in a family in which his father died at n early age.
He, his sister and his mother therefore lived with his uncle and Milarepa was
brought up by his uncle. His uncle used to torture the three of them and
treated them very badly. Milarepa could not bear it any longer and ran away and
learnt occult practices, When he came back he found his mother and sister dead
– this fuelled his hated for his uncle even more. During a marriage function
Milarepa used his occult powers to burn down the entire building where the
marriage was taking place and more than 500 people died. Milarepa was filled
with remorse and went in search f a guru. He hears about Marpa as an
enlightened guru and requests him to take him as his disciple. Marpa makes him do a lot of work for many years
but does not teach him anything. Many others would come, get initiated and
leave but not Milarepa. 25 years pass by and Milarepa is becoming old. When he
is on the verge of committing suicide in despair, Marpa appears and and teaches
him all he knows and puts him in a dark chamber to get enlightened – equivalent
of Samadhi. – Buried alive in a dark chamber for many days, food is passed down
everyday and plate given out every evening. If for 7 days no plate is returned
then the person is dead. Milarepa goes into
the dark chamber and on the 3rd day has a vision of Daikin who tells
him he needs to learn some more. Milarepa breaks open the chamber and asks
Marpa who himself does not know. They go to a guru in India who teaches both of
them and Marpa becomes Milarepa’s disciple. Milarepa is the only person to have
ever climbed Mt Kailash – the story goes that he flew to the top of Mt Kailash.
We reached Shigatse in the evening after a 7 hour drive with excellent lunch in between of puris,
rajma, pulao, gulab jamun, apple and juice.
Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet. The quality of the hotel
was very good – everything was painted in bright colours including the ceiling
and the rooms.
We went for a walk to a nearby park and sat there and
chanted the Mrityunjaya mantra. Beautiful play area and a group of women put up
a typical Tibetan dance.
A Tibetan/Chinese dance in Shigatse
Colourful interiors of the Hotel in Shigatse – Geysar Hotel
Things to take care of for Altitude sickness
1. Deep inhalation hold for 5 secs and let out slowly through pursed lips. Do 15 times
2. ½ a diamox 125 mg morning and evening everyday starting 5 days before the trip
3. Drink 3 litres of water minimum everyday
4. Continue Diamox till you come back down
5. Sukha kkriya ((Anulom Vilom) every 1.5 hours for 15 minutes
6. Castor oil in the nostril for dryness
7. Smell camphor for better oxygenation (we used Amrutanjan strong)
8. Keep arms parallel to ground and rotate in a clockwise direction slowly 10 to 15 times
to acclimatize
9. If there is headache Diamox can be increased to one tablet and water intake can be
increased.
10. Take 3 times your normal BP medicine f you are hypertensive as BP tends to go up
and you may need to take additional dosages
August 4th
Saturday – Day 5 - Shigatse to Saga – 500 kms and 11 hours bus drive
Saga altitude – 15000
feet
On the way to Saga today after breakfast and medical check-up.
Rooms becoming smaller, weather colder, altitude higher, bathrooms barer, air
rarer…….
Did medical check- up for everyone in the bus, Stunning
scenery all along- play of clouds, hills, valleys, plains occasionally dotted
with yellow dandelions/daffodils – layers and layers of these. No trees at this
altitude. Yaks and Sheep grazing precariously on the slopes – can also see wild
dogs. Stopped for lunch at a stunning location – hills surrounding us in brown,
pink, purple colours with a pristine still lake in front. Lunch was again
excellent puri, rajma, cauliflower/potato, pulao, rasagolla, apple, juice. As we
move closer to Saga we can see snow capped mountains making their appearance.
Drinking lots of water meant many loo breaks – “men on right women on left”” –
we stop whenever we find an embankment or a wall for the ladies. Reached Saga after 11 hours of travel –
dinner was Khichdi - comfort food. We had to walk very slowly to conserve our
breath. The last one hour was a sudden descent which gave lot of people
problems. Went to sleep at 1130 and woke up at 430 for practices at 6.
Everything is solar powered here – all vehicles, power, water etc. Probably the
last bath we will have in 4 days.
Many people now down with issues of cough, cold, fever,
loose motions, insomnia etc. I am getting mentally prepared for the drive to
Mansarovar and Kailash and the sense of anticipation and suppressed excitement
heightens. I write down a set of instructions to myself.
Instructions to myself
1 1. No expectations
2.
Don’t keep asking and praying for things to
Sadhguru and Sai baba – surrender
3.
Don’t compare with others – this is your journey
– not a copy of theirs
4.
Whatever has to happen will happen to you
5.
Leave your heart in Kailash and your body will
follow
6.
Relax, stay alert, be receptive
7.
Go within don’t watch without
8.
Let go !
9.
Go as a piece of life
10. This journey is just you and him and nobody else
matters
5th August
Sunday – Day 6 - Saga to Mansarovar 7 hours bus drive
Mansarovar height - 15500
feet
Absolutely stunning scenery, photographs don’t do it
justice. Excited ! So far I have been doing well. Hope it lasts. Hills are quite stark now with the same green brown,
pink, purple designs. Started putting Isha songs in the bus and the Bho Shambho
was very moving – I feel quite teary eyed and keep reminding myself about the
“Instructions to Myself “. As we keep stopping for our open loo breaks all
inhibitions gone in the pressure of natures call. We reach the Mansarovar settlement in the
evening around 5. It’s an enclosed space
with many rooms and toilets in pits in tents. We are about 30 feet from the
lake. We have been told not to touch the water till the process is done and not
to go out of the settlement after 8 as there are wild dogs. The lake looks like
any other lake. We are 7 in a room, there are 2 huge tents – one for satsang
and practices and one for food. It was
cold now probably 4 or 5 degrees and we all had our gear out. Post dinner we
were asked to be ready for the process in the morning.
Mansarovar lake in the evening
6th August
Monday – Day 7 – at Mansarovar
I woke up early in the morning at 2.15 am to try and see the
mystical lights over Mansarovar. It was cold, raining – waited for about 15
minutes but could not see anything and went back to sleep. Morning heard that
quite a few people who had been awake from 230 to 4 had seen the lights. Morning we completed our practices and went
to the lake for the process. We could not go into the lake for a dip as the
Tibetan authorities have forbidden this. We went through a process of chanting - This process changes the
chemistry in your body so that you are able to bear the cold of the water.
Water must have been 3 to 4 degrees temp. The lake is supposed to be the
meeting place for all astral beings but is not a spiritually energized lake.
Sadhguru explained that he has been seeing these beings visit for many years
but has not been able to figure out the purpose. He also said while we know
about the individual and the universal energy, these beings were cluster of
beings which were very different from what he knows. There is also activity
within the lake depths that he can see – some of them translucent some of them transparent but always visiting
in the mid of night. After the process
we had to pour mugs of the ice cold water from buckets on ourselves. It was so
cold that the breath stopped. The
process was beautiful and serene as we chanted Aum Namah Shivaya on the banks
of the Mansarovar. I tried to do meditation multiple times sitting on the banks
of the lake.
Lake Manasarovar lies at 4,590 m (15,060 ft) above mean
sea level, a relatively high elevation for a large freshwater lake. Lake
Manasarovar is relatively round in shape with the circumference of 88 km
(54.7 mi). Its depth reaches a maximum depth of 90 m
(300 ft and its surface area is 320 km2 (123.6 sq mi).
It is connected to nearby Lake Rakshastal by the
natural Ganga Chhu channel. Sadhguru explained that the origins are from the Ocean Titus which flowed back into the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal when the land form currently India joined the main landforms to form the Himalayas. Lake Mansarovar is the remnant of Ocean Titus. In Hinduism,
Lake Manasarovar is a personification of purity, and one who drinks water from
the lake will go to the abode of Shiva after
death. He is believed to be cleansed of all his sins committed over even a
hundred lifetimes. It is
called "Manasa sarovaram", which is a combination of the Sanskrit words for
"mind" and "lake". While Manasarovar remains calm and peaceful and a freshwater lake, Rakshas Tal close by is saline and stormy and dark. Both these lakes represent the good and evil co-existence.
We managed to quickly change after this and went for
breakfast. Satsang, practices, and lunch.
Mansarovar lake in the morning
7th August
Tuesday – Day 8 - Mansarovar to Darchen; Darchen to Mt Kailash, Dirapuk trek 16
kms
15000 ft to 17000 ft
Woke up at 3 am to see the lights again over Mansarovar –
waited for an hour but no luck. I think
it requires a lot of concentration and patience. S1 team had arrived and the
toilet pits were now stinkier. After a lot of delays we reached Darchen by bus. We had to go in groups of 4 with one oxygen cylinder
with us. We started the trek at 1230 from
Yama Dwar.
Gateway of the God of Death, this is the place of
entering the abode of Lord Shiva. Tibetans call 'Tarboche' for Yam Dwar. They
believe that Tarboche is the place from where they start circumnambulation of
their deity's home. To visit Shiva's home, one must pass through the Yama Dwar.
'Yama' is the lord of death and 'Dwar' means gate. Yama, who brings mortal
souls to his haven and make judgment of one's merit & sin, then release for
onward cosmic journey, It is said, the real entry from this gate can be made
after emancipating the soul from mortal world.
Yama
Dwar – Gateway to Shiva’s abode
Indescribable
scenery, hills covered by mist, river gurgling away, sun occasionally coming
out. Light drizzle. After every few steps had to take a deep breath. With four
layers + down jacket and the raincoat and the backpack the trek was not easy.
Kept chanting Shiva Shambho thru the trek. I was conscious of what Sadhguru had
said that we are treading on Shiva’s body and should walk accordingly with care
and devotion. Half way through we saw the West side of Mt
Kailash. I was moved to tears - the
sight was so overwhelming. The trek was beautiful – I took my time and enjoyed
it. The thought that we are walking towards Mt Kailash gave a different quality
to the trek. Suddenly the realization
dawned on me that like this trek, each one of our life journeys is different. In focusing on reaching the destination
quickly and comparing progress/ experiences of others we miss out on the beauty
of our journey. Each person’s spiritual progress is his/her own and between
him/her and Shiva.
Mt Kailash, Dirapuk – reached the enclosure after 6.5 hours
trek. Our room had a direct view of Mt Kailash. The mountain itself was covered
by mist and we could see it only partially. The pillows and sheets were ice cold. Dinner was nice hot Khichdi and Kadi and
was amazing. Toilets in Mt Kailash were pits on the ground behind a wall
separately for men and women.
Arrangements by Isha
A special note on the wonderful arrangements made by Isha
for us. They took care of us with the utmost devotion and in the words of one
of our yatris, we were treated like ‘babies’. There are 21 groups of 75 people
each coming to Kailash thru Isha this year over the next 2 months. Isha flies its cooks to be stationed at
Lhasa, Shigatse, Saga, Mansarovar, Darchen and Mt Kailash to cook Indian food
for us. Isha
also has doctors travelling along with us, with one doctor for each batch
supported by station doctors in Lhasa, Shigatse, Saga, Mansarovar and Kailash
who stay there for 2 months and help out till the last batch is done. Apart
from this the coordination with the Sherpas to pick up and drop our duffel bags to our rooms and transport,
ensuring good food for us, coordination with the bus drivers is unbelievable.
Every bus has 20 people with basics like water, oxygen cylinder, one Sherpa and
one medical coordinator.
8th August,
Wednesday – Day 9 - Mt Kailash, Dirapuk., 17000 ft
Early morning 4 am wanted to go to the toilet. It was pitch
dark and snowing. Every time you had to use the loo you have to get out from
under the warm blanket and cover yourself up including water proof gloves, take
the torch and find your way to the pit 50 feet away trudging thru snow ad ice
cold water balancing tissue paper and wipes in your hand. By the time you are
done and back you are panting and need 5 minutes for breath to settle. Early
morning 5 am was as usual wake up call, practices, medical check, Satsang and
breakfast. We went to Milarepa’s
monastery in the morning. The view of Mt Kailash from here was awesome.
Mt Kailash as seen from Milarepa’s monastery
Video Credit - Anand
We did a process in front of Mt Kailash in the afternoon. It
was magical. As I was gazing at the mountain the snow seemed to stand out in 3
D shape in and out continuously and the surrounding hill seemed to have bright
and dark areas. It may well be because I was staring so intensely. Post the
process sat and did meditation for sometime. I
am realizing I need to practice meditation more often as my power of
concentration and visualization is quite poor. S1 group joined us at night and
the battle for the pits continued.
After the group process in front of Mt Kailash
9th August
Thursday – Day 10 - Mt Kailash
I woke up at 5 and did a meditation for 30 minutes in the
silence. It was very nice. Early morning is the right time to do it and I
resolved I would practice this henceforth. I had been lucky and by the grace of
all the divine beings I had less problems compared to many others who had
insomnia, cough, cold, headache, fever, loose motions etc. After breakfast and practices we left for the trek back. It was
cold, windy, drizzling…..but the landscape was stunning. This trek I resolved
to do slowly , alone, taking my time and enjoying every bit. Om Nama Shivaya
chant was there automatically on my lips . I felt I was leaving behind
something precious – my heart felt full and I was filled with happiness – I
didn’t want the trek to end. I kept stopping and looking at the scenery very
often and taking the entire trek at the slowest pace possible. One of the best
treks ever. The streams have increased, more flowers are blooming and we see
some very friendly Marmots on the way as well as very persistent sparrows which
wanted some food and would sit on top of our heads till we gave it something.
Reached Darchen and slept for 1.5 hours – had a bath the
first after 4 days and then dinner. We wandered around Darchen and bought some
trinkets.
10th August
Friday – Day 11 - Darchen to Saga – 14 hours bus drive
16500 ft to 15000 ft
Early morning routine – today no water in the bathroom– had
to run around for a mug. Everything got delayed. However all this was taken in
the stride with the warm lovely feeling of the visit to Mt Kailash still within
us. Finally we leave at 915 for Saga. On
the way there was a truck which had got stuck and we got delayed at this place
for 4 hours. But with a bus load of happy people we did not feel the time
passing.. Finally an alternative route was found and we had to get off the bus
and walk around – the sand was soft and like quicksand – no wonder the truck
had got stuck. By the time we reached the hotel it was 11.30 and dark and
raining. Sunset in all these places was at 8.30-9 pm only. The drives were fun, with us listening to Mahabaratha or singing songs and handing out snacks or
stopping for bathroom breaks. The roads were excellent, clear with undulating
hills all around and the Brahmapura following us. Hardly any traffic on the
roads except our bus and our driver kept a steady pace throughout. Throughout our journey
we were asked not to sleep because of the altitude climb hence we would keep
waking each other up.
Reached familiar Saga hotel at 1130 had dinner and went to sleep at 1230. What a
difference from on our way up – then we would walk slowly and continue to
breath deeply – now we were practically running up and down.
Yellow Daffodils all along the way
Just the straight road and us
11Th August
Saturday – Day 12 - Saga to Shigatse – 8 hour bus drive
15000 ft to 12000 ft
Today we are allowed to sleep on the bus. On the way we got
stuck in at least 4 places because of landslides or breakdowns. Brahmapura was
in spate and a sight to behold – the brown coloured river was gushing through a
level 4 rapid level. Lunch break was at the same place as the way up with the
pristine lake and hills purple and pink around.We have been doing the Sadhguru
presence at 620 pm everyday. Shigatse we are
back to the same hotel – here everything is painted beautifully including the doors
to the rooms.
The Brahmaputra in spate
Bus 4 group
12th August
Sunday – Day 13 - Shigatse to Lhasa – 7 hour bus drive
12000 ft to 12000 ft
Today we get an extra hour of sleep. After our morning
schedule we leave at 915. Weather today is quite bright, sun is out and we see a lot of pink
flowers on the way. In 4 days a big change – more pink and yellow flowers, more
streams, Brahmaputra volume increased, more landslides and breakdowns on the
way. On the way to Lhasa we prepare for our skit and also planned to have a
Tibetan Dinner out. Reaching the hotel by 5.30 we leave at 7 for the
restaurant. Finding the place is a big job by itself – google maps does not
work properly, we don’t know the language , flagging down taxis we show a
picture of the Chinese translation of the place and finally reach the restaurant.
I had spoken to Nam Don the proprietor of the restaurant - Tibetan Family Kitchen. The ambience looks
very ordinary but the food was excellent and we all really enjoyed it. Eggplant
salad, Thuppa, momos, potato fry, curd
and peanut, beans fry, fried rice, noodles and vegetables,. Nam Don took good
care service was quick, food delicious and she got us cabs to return to the
hotel which was 1/3 rd the price we had paid while coming. Reached the hotel
and went to sleep at 1130 after packing.
At the Tibetan Family Kitchen Restaurant
13th August
Monday – Day 14 - Lhasa to Kathmandu flight
Wake up at 5 am and the usual routine and leave for airport
at 745. Getting bags sorted
out and 75 people in line and into the airport took quite some time and we
reached the boarding area at 1050 for the flight at 1110. Boarded and left at
1130 and reached Kathmandu but because of poor visibility had to return to
Lhasa. We had to stay in the aircraft
while refuelling was done. Spontaneously we started
singing songs with claps all around. Some foreigners seeing this also joined
the fun with the instruments they had. The pilots, and stewards also joined the
fun and took videos. By this time everyone was hungry and they passed around
whatever snacks they had brought. After 30 minutes we left again for Kathmandu
and landed without any incident. But this cost us 3 hours. Went through Customs/ Immigration and went to
Hotel Annapurna and had a great late lunch with Gulab Jamun and icecream. We
boarded the bus again for the Satsang with Sadhguru in the Forest resort 10 kms
away. It took us 1.5 hours to reach there – huge traffic, bad roads, huge
potholes, slushy ground, rain all added to the delay. I will never again
complain about Indian Roads. We had the Satsang with Sadhguru along with the A3
batch. I got up to read the poem I had written but for some reason my voice
choked up and I barely got through the reading of the poem.. My heart was
thumping and I could not talk – I stumbled through the reading of the poem.
We took photos with Sadhguru and left back to the hotel.
Dinner and to sleep at 11. Sadhguru said that at the end of this there should
be at least one thing that we leave behnd and that should be anger. He wanted us
to resolve that we will not get angry or if that’s difficult we will not say
any angry words. I have resolved that I will not get irritated and If I do I
will not show my irritation – I don’t get angry anyway. Also to look at changing my attitude from one of anxiety to looking at the positive
side of things only – half full glass. Second
is to get up at 5.30 everyday and follow my practices come what may with
added 20 minutes of meditation.
14th August
Tuesday – Day 15 - Kathmandu
Morning we started our session at 630. People shared their
experiences post which we enacted our skits. It was great fun with everyone
taking off on the Diamox effect. We concluded with Guru pooja – I was in tears
at the end of this – moving experience. Danced to Alai alai song and hugged
everyone – emotional and sad that this had come to an end – such wonderful
people and what a wonderful trip. The Isha volunteers, Pooja Akka, the
coordinators, the doctors, the station doctors, the Sherpas, the drivers all
worked very hard to make this a success for us - Big Pranams to all of them. To
Sadguru for making this happen and making it a wonderful experience for me. It
is a miracle that I did not have any of the issues that others had which I
would normally have had and have a tendency to get.
I don’t know in what way Kailash
has touched me but for sure the trip was great and the friends I made worth it.
It was easy for me and grateful to Sai baba and Sadhguru and all the gurus who
made it easy for me. Seeing everyone and hearing their personal
stories I feel so blessed and grateful for all that the gods have showered on
me. While I would like to visit Kailash again and do the Parikrama doing just Kailash
with Isha was special. Goodbye and I hope I carry a part of Kailash and HIS energy
in my heart forever.
Three poems that I wrote and would like to share.
Shiva
Shiva is the most
amazing
Is he a Person ? animal? Thing?
He is that which is not
Therefore I know him not
We know he is formless
We know he is voiceless
We know he is bodiless
We know he is nothingness
We know he is here
We know he is there
We know he is everywhere
We know he is nowhere
He can be joyous
He can be furious
He is in the breath
He is in the death
Blessed are those
Who have experienced so
Blessed are those
Who KNOW this is so
I yearn to get a glimpse
A drop of that experience
Personified as the linga
Oh shiva shiva mahadeva
The Divine
There is a sense of wonderment
At the beauty of the present
Everything is perfect
Everything is exact
The blooming of the flower
The fragrance in the bower
Millions of insects in the garden
Teeming with life in abandon
The fluffy white clouds floating
A pattern that gets you guessing
This moment it is something
And the next moment nothing
The trees, clouds just are
So intensely aware
A sense of deep stillness
Just remaining a witness.
The mystery of the universe
With stars and galaxies so diverse
Forming, evolving, creating
Expanding, Bursting, dissolving
The complexity of the human body
Something we cannot grasp fully
The miracle of human evolution
The mystery of human dissolution
The divine in every atom and cell
The divine in each dust particle
The divine in the vastness of the universe
The divine in all the empty spaces
The divine in the blooming flower
The divine in the monsoon shower
The divine in the whispering breeze
The divine in the dancing leaves
The divine in the sunrise and sunset
The divine in every single breath
The divine here and everywhere
The divine that is there and nowhere
A longing to know your
presence
And experience the essence
To know the rapturous ecstasy
Which so far has only been a fantasy.
The mystical magic of
his presence
Absolute stillness
being the essence
When this moment is a tremendous possibility
Let your grace be upon
me.
The Journey to Kailash
Our
hearts filled with excitement
Anticipation
the uppermost sentiment
Bustling
around making friends
Packing,
repacking bacpacks and duffel bags.
The
journey to Kailash is 1500 kms
Every
stop reached after long drives
Breathtaking
scenery all around
Makes
our hearts with joy rebound
As we
drive towards our ultimate goal
And
watch the stunning scenery unfold
Miles of undulating hills
Indescribable
beauty with no frills
As
sickness overtakes some
Discomfort
makes the drives tiresome
While
the body tries to cope
The
spriit comes to the fore
Rains,
mist, wind chills
Slowly
walking with multiple rests
The
mind is fixed unwavering
Bodily
travails minimizing
The
hills a mute witness
Playing
hide and seek with the clouds
Shadow
spangled play on their sides
With
ice and snow glistening patterns
The
stream gurgles along merrily
Yellow
flowers swaying happily
Look
upon the lot of travellers wearily
Giving
them succour in their journey
Walking
into the heavenly abode
The
first sight lightens the load
Fills
the heart and mind with energy
Pulsating
waves surround gently
The
heart and soul melts
And
dissolve into copious tears
The
spiritual yearning strengthens
And
the sleeping giant awakens.
Dawning
of the realization
That
the journey is the destination
Everyone
at their own pace
According
to Shivas design and grace
What
has to happen will happen
As
per Shiva's will and lesson
Life, an unbreakable bond between two
Actors
are just, HIM ad you.
My
heart is suddenly filled
With
happiness and everything good
I return
with lightness and a new start
A
part of Kailash in my heart.
Thank you and I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing
it.
Aum Namah Shivaya !
